In the production of food products such as cookies, candies, icing of cakes, dough and other food and non food products that may be a semi-solid material there is always a need to pump or move the bulk material and meter it. The instant invention is directed to machines typically used in the production of cookies, hard and soft candies, confectionary products and other food and non food products using at least two counter rotating rollers with end plates, such as but not limited to parallel end plates that are placed at close proximity to the ends of the counter rotating roller pair. The counter rotation of the rollers grip and cause semi-solid mediums placed on the top of the rollers to become entrained and pass through the pinch point of the rolls, as described in the inventor's co-pending application device for controlled metering of semi-solid food products, incorporated herein by reference. The drive or gripped passage of the semi-solid medium puts pressure on the semi-solid medium and pushes the medium toward the pinch point of the feed rollers. This pressure is then used to move the semi-solid medium through the pinch point of the feed rollers and out the other side to form a sheet or layer of material or the semi solid materials may be directed into a die block located beyond the feed rollers. The die block being the device that shapes the semi-solid medium into the desired extruded form.
The close proximity of the ends of the feed rollers to the roller end plates is meant to constrain the semi-solid medium causing it to pass through the pinch point of the feed rollers, eliminating the semi-solid medium from passing between the feed roller ends and the mating roller end plates.
Prior art machines provide a clearance spacing between these components, this is necessary to ensure the proper operation of the feed rollers. However this clearance space, although small, allows some semi-solid material to seep between the feed roller ends and the end plates, contaminating the machine, with no easy option when it comes time to clean the machine other than full disassembly. Even with tight clearances a certain amount of semi-solid medium will still enter into the clearance space between the feed roller ends and the roller end plates.
With prior art machines this clearance has presented a location for residual semi-solid materials to collect. This collected semi-solid material has always posed a problem in that the clearance spacing between the feed roller ends and the end plates is difficult to access. This clearance spacing is near impossible to clean efficiently because with prior art machines the end plates are fixed with reference to the feed roller ends and the clearances are small and tight, making access for efficient cleaning very difficult even with liquid sprayers. Being difficult to clean, this area has always been a sanitation issue as well as an area where allergens, such as but not limited to peanuts or other pieces of additives, become lodged and at a later time may exit into a product that is normally considered to be free of the material. This is especially problematic if the material is an allergen like peanuts. Thus the instant invention provides a mechanical means by which the clearance space or gap between the feed roller ends and the mating end plates may be cleaned or access to this area may be easily obtained allowing for proper and efficient cleaning of residual process materials.
Thus the instant invention provides a mechanical solution by which a sealing system is incorporated between the roller end and the mating end plate plus a means of opening this area to allow for proper and efficient cleaning of residual process materials.